Trescothick Defends England’s Ashes Buildup And Shrugs Off Hypocrisy Jibes

Marcus Trescothick has defended England’s Ashes preparations aft Ian Botham joined a chorus of disapproval from erstwhile players complete nan determination to schedule conscionable a azygous warm-up game, saying ex-professionals request to carnivore successful mind that “times person dramatically changed successful nan measurement that cricket is done”.

England’s adjunct coach besides laughed disconnected attempts from nan Australian media to comparison his usage of mints to thief nan shot plaything successful nan 2005 Ashes pinch their ain players’ notorious Sandpapergate controversy.

England play nan Lions connected Thursday, their only crippled earlier nan first Ashes Test starts adjacent Friday. On Tuesday Botham, who has antecedently said that England’s schedule “borders connected arrogance”, returned to nan subject. “It’s not nan measurement I would prepare. Historically you person to acclimatise erstwhile you travel down here,” he said. “You’ve sewage to retrieve there’s 24.5m group you’re playing against.”

Other notable voices to person spoken connected nan rumor see Sir Geoffrey Boycott, who has called it “madness”, saying that “if they triumph successful Australia it will beryllium successful spite of their deficiency of lucifer practice, not because of it”; Michael Vaughan, who called it “a immense risk, a risky tactic”; and nan former Australia opener Simon Katich, who said it was “asking for trouble” and that “very fewer teams person travel to these shores and prepared nan measurement England have, and had success”.

Trescothick said he “respects their opinions” but that replacement solutions are nary longer feasible. “All I will opportunity is times person dramatically changed successful nan measurement that cricket is done,” he said.

“What we are doing for this bid isn’t thing different from erstwhile we went to New Zealand, Pakistan aliases anyplace else. It isn’t immoderate different from erstwhile India travel to England, aliases erstwhile Australia travel to England.

“People are talking astir it and I evidently respect their opinions, but pinch nan measurement of cricket that is now played astir nan world and nan measurement of white-ball into red-ball cricket, nan opportunities are not there.

Ben Stokes during an England men’s Ashes Tour training session. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/EPA

“The strength of playing 5 Test matches, if we were to spell and play 2 aliases 3 warm-up matches connected apical of that, having done it myself successful nan past, it is very, very tricky, erstwhile you get to nan backmost extremity of a series, to still beryllium arsenic mentally caller arsenic you request to be. It is what it is. If you look astatine nan business astir nan world, everyone does nan aforesaid nowadays. You move up, play a crippled and into nan bid you go.”

Before nan past Ashes series, successful England successful 2023, Australia’s only warm-up crippled was nan World Test Championship last against India astatine nan Oval, a schedule Allan Border described arsenic “fraught pinch danger”; they won nan WTC last and retained nan Ashes, aft nan bid was drawn 2-2. Before India started their bid against England this summertime they played nan Lions twice, which was besides really nan England broadside prepared for their past distant Ashes series, successful 2021-22.

“We’re very happy pinch nan preparations,” Trescothick said. “We’re coming present pinch a squad that person stuck together for a agelong play of time, it’s been very consistent. We’ve been playing bully cricket successful our Test worldly and it’s been beautiful accordant for a number of years. So we’re beautiful assured successful our ain squad and what we person to propulsion astatine Australia.”

Trescothick refused to emergence to nan proposal from 1 section journalist that nan Barmy Army’s perennially harsh curen of Steve Smith for his domiciled successful nan Sandpapergate contention was hypocritical fixed nan admittance successful Trescothick’s 2008 autobiography that he had eaten mints during games successful 2005 to make his saliva amended astatine retaining nan radiance connected balls. The communicative caused contention astatine nan clip of nan book’s publication, being interpreted by immoderate arsenic an admittance of ball-tampering.

“I deliberation those days person benignant of changed,” Trescothick laughed. “Ashes cricket is awesome fun, isn’t it? Let’s support it astatine that.”